The Strive Internship

Students eligible for the Strive Internship Programme need to meet the following criteria:

• Be a Black, Asian or minority ethnic student.

• Be living or studying an undergraduate degree in the region or have graduated from University within the last 12 months.

• Be available to work full-time for a minimum of six weeks.

Applications for the Internship are not currently open.

After an initial application sift, successful candidates will be invited to share their internship preferences from the list of available organisations and placements. We will try to match opportunities with role preferences where possible, but this is not guaranteed. We encourage students to be open-minded as all of our internships will give you an opportunity to gain new skills, experience and understanding that will help you grow your career. Once your eligibility for the programme has been confirmed, the next stage will be to complete a short application for review, consisting of submission of your CV and response to 3 application questions. These questions will focus on your career motivations and awareness of your own strengths and development areas.

Successful candidates will then be invited to share their internship preferences from the list of available organisations and placements. We will try to match you with one of your role preferences where possible, but this is not guaranteed. We encourage students to be open-minded as all our internships will give you an opportunity to gain new skills, experiences, understanding and connections that will help you grow your career.

The final stage of the assessment process will be run by the third-party organisation offering the internship. You’ll receive more information from the organisation directly about this stage of the process and what you need to do.

Internships will take place over the summer period and will last between 6 and 8 weeks, depending on the placement organisation. More information about internship dates will be provided in the final stages of the recruitment and selection process, which will take place in early Spring.

Organisations across Bristol, Bath and North-East Somerset, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire are eligible to offer internships as part of the programme, which means that internships on offer are across a range of organisations and sectors. We are still in the process of finalising our partner organisations for our 2024 intake but have already confirmed the following organisations:

• Bishop Fleming

• Bristol & Bath Regional Capital

• Bristol City Council

• Business West

• Hargreaves Lansdown

• IntellectBooks

• PeopleScout

• Plimsoll Productions

• University of the West of England (UWE)

In previous years, we have had more than 15 different organisations offering internship opportunities.

The number of internships on offer is 30. This is so we can guarantee great quality internships and high-quality wrap-around support for the programme. This means you are not guaranteed an internship if you apply.

You’ll have the opportunity to get ahead by having a paid internship where you’ll:

• Work with some of the leading organisations in the West of England.

• Gain valuable work experience.

• Explore a sector you’re interested in.

• Build essential transferable skills.

• Benefit from training and development opportunities.

• Start building your network and gaining key industry contacts.

Any personal information that interns provide will first be used by HL to ensure that they meet the programme criteria and basic requirements. This will take place via review of the application form and CVs. Personal data processed by HL will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Notice.

The CV and cover letter of those successful during the initial stage of the recruitment process will be shared with a third-party organisation, which will run the final assessment stage. Any personal data provided to third-party organisations providing internships will be handled in accordance with their Privacy Notices and data protection obligations.

Please note, we will share your basic identifying information with your learning provider.

If you have any questions or concerns about the processing of your personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at striveinterns@hl.co.uk.

If you are an organisation based in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, or South Gloucestershire, then you can pledge to take on one or more students for 6 to 8 weeks by emailing us at striveinterns@hl.co.uk.

This programme is being coordinated by Hargreaves Lansdown and a steering group with members across Bristol City Council, and University of the West of England.

Hargreaves Lansdown and the steering group will be responsible for, amongst other things, encouraging firms’ participation, advertising the opportunity and running initial sifts of applications. Organisations will be responsible for coordinating their own organisation specific recruitment process for the final stage of assessment. Hargreaves Lansdown will run briefing sessions with organisations to confirm the process, roles, and responsibilities.

Hargreaves Lansdown and the steering group will promote the initiative through universities based in the West of England.

Hargreaves Lansdown will ensure that candidates meet the programme and basic assessment criteria (motivations, interests and self-awareness).

The steering group will then distribute applications amongst participating organisations who will run their own assessment process for the final stage of recruitment based on their preferred processes and criteria. They will then select at least one applicant for an internship.

At a minimum, interns must be paid the Real Living Wage for the region. Organisations that are unable to offer the Real Living Wage will not be eligible to participate in the programme.

No. The aim of the programme is simply to provide a life-changing experience in the workplace by broadening horizons through great quality work experience. If an internship were to lead to a permanent role, that would be a fantastic outcome, but is not a requirement.

All organisations will be briefed to ensure that they understand how the Strive Internship programme works and to help them understand the building blocks of offering a great experience for your intern. Organisations are also encouraged to share knowledge and learnings with one another.

The Strive Internship steering group will work with universities based in the region to attract students to apply to the programme. We would encourage organisations to promote the programme on their social media, too, and will share digital assets with you.